


At First Sight

by x119



Series: Stitching & Strategy [3]
Category: Star Wars: Thrawn Series - Timothy Zahn (2017)
Genre: Fluff, Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-12
Updated: 2019-06-12
Packaged: 2020-05-02 07:13:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19194214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/x119/pseuds/x119
Summary: “What’s today?” Faro asked.“It’s nothing,” Eli said quickly.At the same time, Thrawn plainly answered: “It’s our anniversary.”





	At First Sight

Faro had never been alone with Thrawn before. At the moment, she was wishing it had stayed that way. While he was certainly an intimidating officer, professionalism always dictated her actions regarding the Chiss, and she was confident in her place on the bridge and as his First Officer. Sitting across from him and attempting to plan her next move in dejarik was another situation entirely.

In the previous standard weeks, Faro, Vanto and Thrawn had made a habit out of spending time together off duty, occupying the secondary command room to share meals and test their mettle in games of strategy. Vanto had tried to introduce holovids as a new activity, but Thrawn had “asked too many questions” and had been quite a “nuisance”, according to Eli. Faro was quite pleased with the arrangement and found their company enjoyable; the other two officers were quite a pair, and complemented each other well. When Vanto was around, Thrawn seemed to soften, if only slightly, and had someone other than Faro to focus his attention on. Now that there were only two of them, she was missing Eli’s presence more than she ever would have thought possible. Thrawn had sent him to the mess to retrieve their food, and in his absence, they had spent what seemed like a medium-sized eternity in silence before Thrawn invited her to play a game of dejarik – an offer she knew she couldn’t refuse, even if part of her wanted to. 

Though they were now embroiled in the game, Thrawn was silent and expressionless, one hand in a fist under his chin as he regarded the board and waited for her move. 

_ Her move… _

Egged on by her anxieties, she quickly selected a piece and moved it, eliciting what she had come to recognize over the past few weeks as a smile from her opponent. She thought the move was good, but she had no idea what Thrawn was thinking. 

“There is no need to be nervous, Commander Faro,” Thrawn said coolly. She didn’t know if he was aware it often just made things worse when he made such remarks. 

“You are a skilled opponent,” he continued, long fingers hovering over his own side of the board, “but - ”

What Faro assumed would be the final play of their game was interrupted as the door to the command room slid open with a hiss and Eli Vanto entered, his arms stacked with several boxes. 

“Dinner is served,” he said somewhat cynically, nearly dropping the containers as he placed them unceremoniously on the command table. A smirk crossed his lips as he saw what Faro and Thrawn were doing, and he eyed the board with renewed curiosity. 

“Who’s winning?” he asked, his question directed at Thrawn, as if he already knew the answer. Thrawn didn’t seem to acknowledge his gaze and smiled at Faro instead. 

“I believe we are evenly matched,” he answered simply, shutting down the hologram as Eli passed him one of the boxes. He passed another one to Faro before sitting and opening his own. 

“Thank you,” Faro said with a nod in Eli’s direction. He made an overly dramatic gesture in response, dropping his fork in the process.

“You’re welcome,” he said snidely, his eyes narrowing as he glanced sideways at Thrawn. “Can’t believe I was on gopher duty, today of all days…”

“What’s today?” Faro asked. Immediately after the words left her mouth, she sensed that she shouldn’t have said anything at all. Eli’s eyes widened with regret as he shook his head no. Thrawn appeared to have no reaction and continued to eat silently as if nothing had happened, though that wasn’t unusual. 

“It’s nothing,” Eli said quickly.

At the same time, Thrawn plainly answered: “It’s our anniversary.”

For a second, the table was silent. Faro knew she and Thrawn had come to an agreement about the real relationship between the Commodore and his aide, but at the time, she wasn’t sure if Eli had known what transpired. 

By the look on his face, he had absolutely no idea.

“What?!” He said, a horror that Faro wasn’t sure was merely practiced and reflexive or truly genuine showing on his face. His cheeks flushed redder by the second as he struggled with what to say before Thrawn spoke.

“Commander Faro and I have an understanding on this matter,” Thrawn explained calmly. “There is no need to worry, Eli.”

With Thrawn’s reassurance, Eli visibly calmed, though his cheeks were still flushed beneath his freckles. He avoided Faro’s eyes, but spoke to Thrawn, a tinge of anger still present in his voice, his Wild Space twang more pronounced with his heightened emotions.

“When was this, and why didn’t I know about it?” 

“When you passed out during the sabacc game,” Faro began before Thrawn could answer, “and Commodore Thrawn had to cut you out of your clothes and leave you half dressed and unconscious in his bed.”

“Well, that would certainly do it,” Eli agreed reluctantly, though he seemed to be slightly amused at her retelling of the events. The redness in his cheeks flared up again.

“I’m sure you were appalled we weren’t following regulation,” he teased, and she smiled, recalling an incident from the previous day where Eli had forgotten to shave and she’d reprimanded him for it. Before she could offer a rebuttal, Thrawn spoke up again.

“Technically, I believe it  _ is _ within Imperial regulation,” Thrawn suggested to the surprise of the other two officers. Eli scoffed and raised an eyebrow at the idea; Faro could tell he was mentally working through past events, wondering what Thrawn could have meant. There were certain conditions in which two officers could have a relationship, but Faro didn’t know enough about their history to make any guesses. 

“We were never really at the same rank,” Vanto began, once again gesturing with his fork instead of eating, “and it’s true that when we met, you weren’t in the military, but I still thought you could shoot lasers from your eyes back then.” Faro did nothing to stifle her laughter, garnering a genuine smile from Eli.

“Ah, but that’s it,” Thrawn continued, grinning as widely as Faro had ever seen - a very different expression for the Chiss, but certainly not an unwelcome one. 

“When we first met, it was…” Thrawn pondered for a moment before he was unable to find the right word, speaking to Eli in a language unknown to Faro. 

Whatever he said, it sure got a reaction out of Eli. The lieutenant commander blushed deeper than he had the entire evening, burying his head in his hands in embarrassment. Thrawn’s smile continued to grow. 

“I’m not translating that,” Eli mumbled. Despite his outward defiance, he sounded defeated, as if he knew Faro’s curiosity wouldn’t let up. 

“You’re just  _ trying _ to make a joke, anyway,” Eli continued, lifting his head up but still making himself small against the table. He even pulled his officer’s cap down a smidge as he readjusted his position. 

“It is the truth, Eli,” Thrawn continued. “You do not give yourself enough credit – you are exceptional in many ways.”

Eli said nothing and tried to deflect the issue by shoving a forkful of food into his mouth. 

“Now, Commander Faro, I shall attempt to explain what Eli is reluctant to translate,” Thrawn continued, turning his attention to Faro, “though, it would be much easier if he would cooperate. I may have to recount my personal feelings in detail, which will no doubt be embarrassing for him.”

Eli didn’t let the subtle threat go unnoticed, much to Faro’s dismay. She did have to admit that his awkwardness had quite the charm, and surmised that Thrawn felt the same way. 

“Fine,” he said, swallowing what was in his mouth and attempting to straighten himself. 

“He said, when we first met, it was…” Faro met his eyes just as the corner of his lip ticked upward, as if remembering the earlier praise. His cheeks reddened before he finished his translation. 

“Love at first sight.”

Realizing what he just said, Eli seemed to be trying to sink into the table and disappear behind his food container, his cap having somehow gone even lower on his forehead. Thrawn was gazing at him affectionately all the while, which only seemed to make Eli’s embarrassment deepen. Faro certainly had never fingered Thrawn as a romantic type, his usual demeanor considered, but it was obvious now that he was just as skilled in it as in many of his other pursuits. These two really were too much. 

“He said it, not me,” Eli finally spoke up, his eyes barely visible beneath the brim of his cap as he peered at her over his dinner. 

“Then I suppose it may be within regulation, and I won’t reprimand you for that one,” Faro said to Eli with a laugh. He continued to sulk, so Faro decided she should try her to best to rectify the awkward situation that Thrawn had, once again, caused. 

“Anyway, if its your, ah, anniversary, should I leave you for the evening?” She asked. Eli didn’t respond, leaving the question for Thrawn to deal with.

“I would appreciate it if you would stay,” Thrawn began, “as I have recently acquired a game of strategy that requires at least three players. If you are concerned about interrupting our amorous activities, rest assured that we have already taken enough time for that today.”

“Oh, God…” Eli muttered, burying his face in the crook of his elbow as his forehead finally hit the table. Faro wasn’t immune to the comment either, sensing the heat coming to her cheeks and her fingers fidgeting with her fork. So much for rectifying the situation. She tried her best to make her discomfort unapparent, straightening in her seat and clearing her throat before speaking.

“Perhaps we should finish dinner,” she began, “and then see if Lieutenant Commander Vanto is still with us before moving on.”

“Very good, Commander,” Thrawn said with a slight smirk, finally paying attention to his largely untouched meal. 

Commander Faro smiled in return, making a mental note to recall this incident the next time she played dejarik against Commodore Thrawn; she had a feeling it would level the playing field.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I've read so many Star Wars novels but I still had questions about cutlery. Do they have forks? Is there a special name for forks? Apparently I just said fuck it.


End file.
